TRP: Larkin and Mishka (Brainstorming)
January 30, 2019 Jen: at 3:01 PM Day 176, the castle. Larkin goes to talk to Mishka This day seemed to be one of first times. First time to go knock on this particular door, first time talking to Haeth on her own accord, first time asking him for help. But - Larkin had to remind herself of that every few steps- objectively, they were on the same side; allies working towards a shared goal. Time to set her personal dislikes for the man aside and get down to business. So downstairs she walked, and to the room he'd claimed as his office, and rapped on the door.(edited) Coyote: at 3:04 PM Mishka was flipping through the accounting ledger on his desk, making notes. Inconsistencies here, scratched out information here. He was rapidly getting all the evidence he needed to blackmail the Minister of Coin. He looked up, frowning, then called, “Come in, it’s open.” Jen: at 3:07 PM Larkin opened the door and stepped just inside the room. "We gotta talk," she said curtly. "You got time?" Coyote: at 3:15 PM If Larkin Basha said they had to talk, it was probably something Mishka needed to make time for. “Yeah,” Mishka said, waving his hand. “Just plotting evil schemes, the usual. Whatever can do I do for you, little bir.... ah, Miss Ba... Larkin. What can I do for you, Larkin?”(edited) Jen: at 3:20 PM Little what? Larkin narrowed her eyes, staring at him from the doorway for a long moment. Focus Larkin, this is important. She pushed the irritation down, and the door closed, then moved over to where a chair faced the desk several feet away. "The Sanguines are a fucking problem." She slouched in the chair drumming her fingers against the arm rests. "For you and me and on several levels." Coyote: at 3:33 PM “Oh, for fucking sure,” Mishka said. “I’ve been briefed. Morgan Wyn wants to take over Skyport? Fucking rude. We were here first.” He kicked up his feet on the desk. “I assume you’ve already told Renar about this. He got any ideas? Plans? Or is it just business as usual?” Jen: at 3:41 PM "Truth?" She grimaced. "I don't know. He knows, yes, but he wouldn't involve me. I'm staked out here, watching Wyn's backwater outposts." Coyote: at 3:50 PM “Huh.” Interesting. Unusual Renar would choose to station her out here. Maybe he was losing faith in her... or getting soft, keeping her out of the way of danger. “Interesting. Well— I’m curious. You know how Renar feels about blood family. And Morgan Wyn seems interested in getting people on her side. Potential traitors. Turncoats. I fucking hate to ask, but— y’know, I guarantee at some point she’s gonna either try to kill or recruit you. That’s what I would do, at least. What are you going to do? Fake being on her side and pretend to join? Or tell her to go fuck herself?” Jen: at 3:53 PM Larkin snorted and waved him off. "Not letting her get close enough to ask. She can't be that dumb to assume I'd fuck Renar over. Even if I did pretend to join, she'd never let me get any valuable intel." Coyote: at 3:56 PM “Yeah. Good point.” She’d probably try to get info from Larkin and use her as much as possible without giving her any useful information— at least for a few months, minimum. Morgan Wyn wasn’t stupid. “Hey. You gotta family tree or something? How many cousins have you got? Anybody who might turn traitor? Anybody who might get kidnapped or held hostage?”(edited) Jen: at 4:02 PM She shook her head. "Not many Bashas this side of the sea. This isn't about traitors, though. Renar's aware of that. Nah, I wanted..." She paused, shaking her head again, more at herself this time. Should be too fucking hard. "Look, I'm not gonna just it around and wait 'till this blows over. I need help and you-" she flapped her hand at Mishka. "yeah, you're just the guy I need." Coyote: at 4:07 PM Huh. This was normally where Mishka would wave his hand and say, Flattery will get you everywhere. Go on. Larkin, however, didn’t seem like the flattering type. She was just being... blunt. Huh. “Sure,” Mishka said. “You got something in mind you need me to do, or are you looking for suggestions? You’re right. This isn’t going to blow over. It’s sink or swim.” Jen: at 4:12 PM "Fucking agreed," she muttered. "Looking for suggestions, really. My means are limited. Taking out Wyn would be the fastest way to end this bullshit, obviously." Coyote: at 4:21 PM “Yeah. Agreed. I bet she’s the kind of woman with a lot of fucking backup plans, though. I don’t think we can attack her now,” Mishka said. “We need to gather information on what her abilities are. If she has any magic items. What kind of lieutenants she has. No clue how, though. We’d need information from someone close to her, someone who’s seen her fight, maybe... or we need to witness her fighting, somehow.” Jen: at 4:35 PM Larkin hummed, mulling it over in silence. Yes, coming to ask Haeth had been a good idea. He did this kind of shit all the time. She'd just have to make sure it wouldn't violently backfire. "Well, let's hope Roddy comes up with something useful." She paused again. "I don't... know enough about her habits. But she doesn't strike me as one who gets her hands dirty herself if she doesn't have to." Coyote: at 4:42 PM “Roddy’s brother,” Mishka said, eyes a little unfocused. “Amren. We should catch him, if we can. Interrogate him. He might know things about how to take Wyn down. What kind of fighter she is. That kind of thing. Or... something. He might know something. And even if he doesn’t, we ought to take him out.” He grimaced. He grabbed an apple from the desk and started peeling it to have something to do with his hands. “I’ve got no stomach for torture, believe it or not, but that might be what it comes down to. Don’t suppose you’d know anyone good at it?” Jen: at 4:47 PM "Not my favourite past time either. But y'know, most people like to keep their fingers." Amren. Yeah, that little shit would make a good target. And this time neither Roddy nor Goro would have cause to object (fingers crossed). January 31, 2019 Coyote: at 8:47 AM “Yeah,” Mishka said. “We’ll find a way, I suppose. Most people talk pretty quick once they realize that it’s in their best interests. Only thing is, as soon as we kidnap the poor fuck, Wyn is probably gonna catch on. She’ll realize we’re against her, and she’ll start moving to take us out.” Mishka started musing aloud. “I wonder... is there a way to frame someone else? Is there a way to make it look like someone else kidnapped him?” Jen: at 9:43 AM "Probably." There was always a way. With Wyn, though, they had so little information and too many assumptions about what she could do. They'd had to be very careful planting evidence, or... "Or maybe we don't have to. Frame someone else, I mean. Renar's already a target for Wyn, if I get the idea to him and he consents, we can do it with his resources. Won't have to make it look like it 'cause it's gonna be real." Larkin could take her little gang with her and they could utilize one of the Basha's safe spots to hold and interrogate Amren. Coyote: at 9:49 AM “We could try that, sure. There’s options.” Mishka would rather have him in the dungeon, though— would rather have him here. “Has she openly moved against Renar yet? I’d rather avoid open gang war, if we can. Just gonna get fucking messy. You were right, earlier. The best way to handle this is to cut the head off the snake.” Jen: at 9:58 AM "There've been attacks. Gang war's just a matter of time now." Coyote: at 10:06 AM Mishka grimaced. A crystalline bottle of bourbon sat on a silver tray on a side desk, along with a few small crystal glasses. Mishka went to grab the bottle. “I really hope your uncle doesn’t get killed. That’s going to be deeply inconvenient for me.” He poured himself a small drink. “No offense,” he added a beat too late. “It’s just, y’know. If both he and Morgan Wyn die, that’s going to creat quite a power vacuum. There will be petty gang wars for years as various people try to grab power. Or— well, your uncle is a smart man, he’s probably already arranged for someone to take over his empire when he dies... still, people often try to fight the heir. Particularly if they think they have a stronger claim.” He waved his hand. “But I digress. I’m assuming your uncle can protect himself.” Jen: at 10:16 AM Well, I wouldn't know, he has not disclosed his defense strategies to me. But that was whining, and would also reveal more personal information than Larkin cared for, so she kept her comment to a scowl. "Renar takes care of everything. If he dies... he's not gonna let his cartel fall apart over that. Actual question is if we can trust his successor. That's how Wyn took the Guild, allegedly. Rats 'n turncoats." Coyote: at 10:23 AM “Yeah. Better just fuckin’ keep him alive, then, I guess,” Mishka said. He took a sip and sat back down. He thought about offering the bourbon, then decided: eh, Larkin probably wasn’t the type to drink on a job, and this was a job for her. “Speaking of rats and turncoats,” Mishka said. “Roddy. You figure he’s gonna object to us torturing his brother?” Jen: at 10:30 AM What an offhanded comment about Renar. Larkin ignored the last question and cocked her head, trying not to let Haeth rub her the wrong way but failing. "Lots of reasons to make sure Renar stays alive," she said. "Remind me, Haeth, just how loyal are you to the Basha anyway?"(edited) Coyote: at 11:15 AM Mishka regarded her for a moment. “Hey,” Mishka said. “D’you wanna hear how I met your uncle? Don’t answer that, I know you don’t give a fuck, but I’m gonna tell you anyway.” He took a long drink, then set his glass down. “This happened fifteen years ago,” Mishka said. “I was a new pirate. I had a crate full of White Sky-- it’s a drug from Calimport. And I needed someone to sell it to. The problem was, the crate was so big and it cost so much, I couldn’t find anyone willing to buy it. “I met a man named Giovanni down by the docks. Giovanni worked for Renar Basha. Now, normally, Giovanni would buy my cargo, sell it, then give a cut of it to his boss, Renar. Right? That’s how cartels and gangs work. You make money, you give a cut to your boss. But Giovanni didn’t want to pay Renar. He wanted to keep all of it. So he didn’t tell Renar about our deal-- he tried to keep it under the table. I didn’t know this, obviously. I had no fucking clue the poor fool planned to cheat his boss.” “Now apparently, Giovanni had done this before. Several times. And Renar knew about it. So when Giovanni and I met that night, Renar was there, waiting. He caught Giovanni making the deal with me. He had ten men with him. And as soon as Giovanni saw Renar, he broke down, got on his knees, apologized, and started begging. “Your uncle, naturally, didn’t give a fuck,” Mishka said. “He decided to make an example of poor Giovanni. He told his men to hold Giovanni down… and then he took out a hammer and broke every bone in Giovanni’s body. Personally. Then he threw the poor motherfucker in the harbor. Now, to his credit, Giovanni lasted a good five minutes,” Mishka said. “Thrashing and fighting with his broken body to keep his head above water. In agony, but knowing he was going to die regardless. Then, weeping, he gave up, and drowned.” Mishka looked away. He swirled the last of his bourbon. “Your uncle is fucking terrifying,” he told Larkin seriously. Jen: at 1:22 PM Larkin listened with a blank face. Probably the same blank expression she'd put on every time Renar had her watch him dealing business like that. Haeth was wrong in one thing: she gave a lot of fucks about how he met Renar; or rather, the things it revealed. "So," she said after a moment, when she'd waited for Haeth to say something else and he didn't. "And that was when you decided you wanted to be an associate of this man? Don't get me wrong," she added. "It's not like I doubt..." she snapped her fingers, unsure how she'd planned to end this sentence. "Y'know, you're not the kinda guy who shits his pants over ten thugs and a hammer, is what I'm saying. What's keeping you around when shit goes down?" Coyote: at 2:14 PM Huh. Mishka watched her for a moment. “You’re right,” Mishka said. “I’m not sticking around because I’m scared of your uncle. The thing is... if Renar Basha gets killed and his empire gets taken down, I’m pretty sure the city is going to erupt into chaos. And I really don’t want that. I like this city. I live here.” Mishka kept toying with the empty glass. “When I met your uncle, that encounter showed me something. Your uncle has rules. He didn’t kill Giovanni because he was in a bad mood, or because he was high, or because he was drunk, or because he felt like it. He killed Giovanni because Giovanni betrayed him. Renar can be fucking cruel, but as long as you follow the rules, you’re fine.” He set the glass aside. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Calimport, but the underground scene there is chaos. There’s dozens and dozens of gangs and cartels, all vying for supremacy. It’s bloody, and it’s messy, and it’s pointless. Idiot crime lords addicted to opiates and hash and heroin… corrupt lawmakers… nepotism... Skyport is different. Your uncle has a strong, stable empire. He has clear, well-defined rules. Everyone knows what those rules are, and as long as people follow the rules, everything is fine. “There’s always going to be criminal overlords,” Mishka said. “The difference is that Renar is stable, and he’s big. He keeps the other ruthless criminals in line. And I’d rather have that than Morgan Wyn.” Mishka waved his hand. “Anyway. Long story short. I’m siding with your uncle because it’s smart. The only person I’m loyal to is myself, thanks. I’m not gonna bullshit you and pretend otherwise. You’re not stupid.” Jen: at 3:00 PM "Nah." Larkin smirked, then turned into a genuine smile. "And I wouldn't've fucking believed anything else. You're doing it for all the smart reasons." Anyone who said otherwise fucking lied. Well, anyone but Bretta maybe, and her and Pa. But it was different for them, they were family. Weird to think of it, how Renar had put Larkin down her whole life, onto the same level as any other common street soldier and yet, there'd always been that one distinction. Any other street soldier knew Renar would pay any betrayal back in blood and pain. Larkin never had to live with that knowledge. She was family. She was beyond suspicion. She'd never sell her family out and Renar knew it because that's how he'd raised her. Larkin shifted in the chair, relaxing her posture. "Anyway. 'bout Roddy. He hates that little shit but, eh. I guess he's also got a soft heart. We might not wanna have him around for it." Coyote: at 3:15 PM “Yeah. Mainly I’m concerned... y’know. Once we have the info we need, we should probably kill Amren. I like that little bastard— Roddy, I mean, no Amren, obviously, haha—, but I’m concerned he’ll try to let Amren go instead of killing him. ... Eh, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Jen: at 3:55 PM "Yeah. That's why we shouldn't keep the kid around for the messy part. Can't object to what he doesn't know." February 1, 2019 Coyote: at 9:37 AM Hm. “Well— the problem with that is, he might find out, after.” Mishka had been pretty dismissive of Roddy at first, but— he was Hansel’s kid. Roddy was the weirdest combination of a fool, a kid, and a surprisingly competent and experienced spell-caster. It made no sense. Mishka liked it. Jen: at 9:42 AM "Eh, if you're concerned he'll be mad at you, just blame me. I don't care. He already dislikes me for wanting to rid the world of that other little shit he calls a brother." Coyote: at 10:07 AM Mishka toyed with the spinner in his pocket, rubbing his thumb against the metal edge. It was a kill-or-be-killed world. Amren had already framed Roddy for murder twice. He was an active threat. He wasn’t going to just disappear quietly and then never show up again. He needed to die. Whether Roddy agreed to it or not. He’d try to reason with Roddy, first, explain it to him. You can’t just fucking let a serial killer walk free because you’re attached to him. Especially not a serial killer with a grudge against you. Somebody who might hurt your fucking family, Roddy. Somebody who might hurt you. Mishka’s gut clenched. “Yeah,” Mishka said. “You’re right. He needs to die. I just wanna do it while causing the least damage possible. I mean, we’re talking pretty far ahead here. This is if we catch Amren, if he doesn’t escape, if Roddy objects to killing him.” Mishka turned the spinner in his pocket. “But if Roddy does object to killing him… let me talk to him first, maybe I can explain. That’s all I ask.” Jen: at 10:22 AM "Yeah, sure. Not like I could stop you anyway." Larkin watched Haeth very closely when she noticed him tensing at this topic. Something seemed to be making him uncomfortable. She wasn't sure what but it was probably personal. That was fine, Larkin didn't care for his personal matters. She stood up from the chair, suddenly needing to get into a less passive position. "So, how do we get the 'if' out of kidnapping Amren?"(edited) Coyote: at 10:50 AM “That Gabriel Melaine,” Mishka said. “Amren’s supposed to be there, right? Seems like a good place to grab him.” Jen: at 10:54 AM "I'm not so sure," Larkin said slowly. "Getting one target out will be hard enough... dividing our forces between two, even if one of 'em is willing to come with... " Larkin made a doubtful face. "I'm mean sure, we can try. But he's gonna have backup there. We don't know the layout of the place, or what kind of resistance we gotta expect. It's a fucking mess of a plan already, I'm telling ya." Coyote: at 11:04 AM “True. You’ll just have to get in quietly and get the drop on him. As a group,” Mishka said. “Who’s stealthy? You, Raef... Roddy... Goro... not Hansel, not Joan. By the way, who the fuck is that bizarre blond woman with the braids and the blue paint? She keeps scaring the fuck out of me. She thinks it’s hilarious, apparently. And that orc woman. Are people just deciding they live here now?”(edited) Jen: at 11:31 AM "Seems like they fucking do. That's why I don't." Larkin had begun to pace but now she stopped and spread her hands, presenting Mikhail that puzzle. "No fucking idea how they tolerate it. You'd think at least Goro knows better, but fucking nah. First that damn necromancer, now this orc person," she waved a hand in the general direction of the room Gavi had moved into. "Just picked her up on the fucking street." At least Raef was back. One more person with some common fucking sense to stock their meager numbers. Larkin sighed and started walking in circles again. "The other one's Jasper Melaine. Gabriel's sister."(edited) Coyote: at 12:17 PM Mishka scoffed as she paced. “Fucking people moving into my fucking castle. Fucking scammers harassing my fucking half-elf,” he muttered. Jasper Melaine, huh. “So— Melaine.” The name was vaguely familiar; some crime family or another, nothing he’d ever been involved with. “Is having a Melaine around a problem or a good thing?” Jen: at 2:55 PM My half-elf?Larkin prickled at that but let it go. Must be how this fucker expressed his affection and no doubt Goro was into it for some fucked up reason. "Problem, probably, since Wyn apparently took over their territory. But I'm gonna try and help the Melaines anyway, because our families are allies." Coyote: at 4:07 PM Mishka shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Kill the Sanguines, maybe the Melaines will owe you some favors.” He kept going back to something se said earlier. Ridding the world of the other little shit Roddy called a brother, she’d said. “So you’re trying to kill Jonn, huh?” Mishka said, suddenly. Jen: at 4:21 PM Larkin stopped in front of a bookshelf. She'd made that comment in passing but now he'd dragged her back to it. Must have a real interest in that topic, too, and Larkin had no trouble seeing why. "If I get my hands on him," she said. It was true enough now. Haeth didn't need to know how much wasted effort she'd put into finding out where the little rat hid away so she could skin him; even if he hadn't caught the same love disease that'd made Goro go nuts about Jonn. "'course Roddy doesn't want me to," she added, testing. "Even threatened me over it, but-" she snorted. "Kid doesn't know what he's up against." Coyote: at 4:33 PM “Yeah. Yeah, Roddy doesn’t get it,” Mishka said, tapping his fingers on his arm. He was suddenly tense, suddenly itching. There was a bitter taste in his mouth. The kid was a fucking serial killer. He ought to die. Sure, Hans was sentimental about him— and sure, Mishka fucking deserved that kind of torture, sure, it was fair— but Jonn still deserved to die. What about all the people Jonn had killed? What about the people Jonn would kill in the future? Didn’t they deserve to live? Why did Jonn get a free pass just because Hansel was fucking sentimental about him? The problem was, Mishka couldn’t do anything about it, because Hansel would leave him with a snap of his fingers. (Rapid-fire thoughts in his head. Maybe it’d be better that way. Maybe he could kill Jonn, and then Hansel would leave him, like Mishka deserved, and then— that’d be good. The world would be right again. Mishka would be punished the way he ought to, and Hansel would be safe, and—) Mishka made himself stop and slow down. He was doing that thing again— one anxious thought led to another, then spiraled out of control. He was calm. He was good. “Well, good luck,” Mishka said. “I’d help you if I could.” Jen: at 4:43 PM He seemed to be going off on a spiral for a moment, staring past her with a blank face, eyes too wide. Whatever it was, none of Larkin's business. Didn't seem like he was going to give her shit about it, so that was satisfying enough. Though actually... Larkin dismissed the comment with a growl. "Well, I gotta need it. I promised turtle kid to lay off Jonn so he would stop screeching at me 'bout it. I gotta wait for the right moment now." She gave Mikhail and actual wink. "Make it look like an accident, y'know." February 2, 2019 Coyote: at 7:56 AM "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be... best." Mishka grimaced. He wanted the little fuck dead as badly as possible, he just couldn't-- do it himself. Or help. Even talking about it felt like betraying Hansel, somehow. He needed to change the subject. "I don't suppose we could... get him killed, could we?" Mishka said idly anyway. "Say we need an informant. Jonn loves Roddy and loves Hansel. He'd probably work for us... and take our side... if we asked him to. Maybe we can get him to act as a spy for us. Maybe he'll get us some useful information. Nine Hells, maybe he'll get killed. Wouldn't that be a dream."(edited) Jen: at 8:45 AM "Yeah," Larkin said with a grimace. "That's why I don't fucking believe in it. The idea, though... yeah, that's a good one. Better than openly going for her throat." She nodded, possible plans of actions already in her mind. She dragged her chair closer to Mikhail so she could sit leaned in, gesturing along while she talked. "Wyn's not that great, benevolent crime overloard who looks out for her little protéges like a fucking mother hen. You don't get that big without screwing some over, we just gotta find them." Assuming they could get hold of a turncoat before Wyn offed them. "Maybe we could spread rumors. Drive them out somehow. Maybe..." she snapped her fingers and whirled a hand in the air, conjuring up the plan. "Maybe it's the Church. Or the Royal family, offering reward for selling Wyn out. We'd need to make 'em feel secure, of course. Rats smell setups." Coyote: at 9:15 AM "Ah, fuck. Fuck, that's good, I fucking love that," Mishka said. He couldn't help but grin. "Yeah. Let's do that. Pay a few bards to spread rumors. Fuck, I'll use the mask to disguise myself a few different bards and spread the rumors myself. But... say it works. Say someone wants to betray Morgan Wyn and help us take her down. How do they contact us?" He drummed his fingers on the table. "We could... tell people, as part of the rumors, how to contact us," Mishka said slowly. "Say the rumor is that the royal family... or some mystery person... is looking for traitors and turncoats. And the rumor is, if you go to the Silverlit Inn and talk to the bartender there, he'll set up a meeting." Jen: at 9:18 AM "We'd need to give them some proof we're legit," Larkin said, nodding along. "Not just the Sanguines looking for moles in their ranks. Some place... oh, I don't know. Some place a Sanguine would know isn't withing Wyn's reach." Coyote: at 9:20 AM "Good idea... god, where, though, I wonder," Mishka said. "Where is out of her reach? Not Glimmerton. Not Skyport... wait. Wait, hang on. Basha territory. What about Basha territory? Or a Basha warehouse?" Jen: at 10:15 AM "I'd need to check back with Renar on that but yeah, don't think he'd object. Though..." Thing was, trying to lure a legit mole out would also mean potentially catching a fraud. If they started spreading rumors, Wyn was bound to hear of it and then she might try and use the opportunity to get close to Renar again. Not that he'd be there himself, but why invite trouble. Better outsource it. "Maybe neutral ground would be better. Wyn's got... she's gotten close already. And she's on his territory. You're chummy with the council, aren't you? Can you arrange something there?" Coyote: at 10:20 AM "I'll try," Mishka said. The best person to approach, he supposed, would be Basil-- who would be very alarmed to hear about the possibility of a gang war breaking out in his city. "The Warmaster might be interested in helping the Runners, sure. I s'pose you all did save his life during the Diva debacle. Maybe I can talk him into offering a reward for any traitors who have information on the whereabouts of Morgan Wyn. Make it official. Put up posters. Use town criers." Mishka couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice. "That'll be new. Working on the right side of the law." Jen: at 10:36 AM "Could help if they think they got the protection of the law on their side," Larkin mused. Then she snorted. "Yeah, right. No one's gonna believe that. I sure as fuck wouldt. Got any idea how we could use some official ground without, y'know, making it actual official business?" Coyote: at 10:46 AM "Mmm. Nothing comes to mind, no. You know-- maybe we're over-complicating this. Maybe it's Joan. She's got a reputation for this sort of thing. Idealistically throwing herself at monsters in the dark," Mishka said, waving his hand. "Maybe she puts up a notice on the job board, signs it with her name. We spread rumors that Joan Ripley, former guildmaster, is looking for information on the Sanguines. People would believe that. People would know her face and her name, and they'd know she wasn't working for the Sanguines to ferret out moles. I mean, there's the risk that the Sanguines will hear about and send a fake traitor to feed us false information... or if we set up a meeting, there's a chance Joan will be attacked... but we can deal with those risks." Jen: at 11:06 AM "Yeah. Fuck, that could actually work, yeah." She had been unsure about going to talk to Haeth before but he really was good at this. "Let's not waste time then," Larkin said. "We gotta ask Joan, and... y'know, I'm gonna go talk to Goro first. He's probably got his bit to say, too." Coyote: at 10:09 PM "Oh yeah. Goro," Mishka said. "Kraken's Teeth, he's smart, yeah." Goro was so clever. All those weird, twisted little plans. Mishka caught himself smiling stupidly. He cleared his throat and tried to straighten his face.(edited) Jen: at 10:17 PM Ugh, Mask. For a moment there she had forgotten about that. Larkin tried not to let it show how little she thought of Haeth going after her best friend. "Yeah," she repeated. "So... yeah. Anything else?" Coyote: at 10:23 PM "Nope. Got nothin'." Mishka kicked up his feet. She was scowling at him again, but trying to hide it, it looked like. Same way she'd looked before, earlier in their conversation. Huh. He wondered what exactly was setting her off. Was she jealous or something? Maybe she was sweet on Goro. Mishka dug a cigarette out of his pocket. "Y'know, you don't have to scowl at me every time I mention Goro. What, you wanna fuck him too?" He smirked at her. Jen: at 10:25 PM "What." Coyote: at 10:27 PM Mishka made the universal gesture for fucking. Jen: at 10:36 PM Larkin grimaced, cutting off that image and got up. "Yeah, I don't fucking like you either. No need to get disgusting." Coyote: at 10:38 PM Mishka cocked his head. "I don't dislike you," he said. "I think you're an ass, but I don't dislike you. You're charming. You're sharp. You're Goro's chaver. You shot that woman for him." Jen: at 10:43 PM She snorted, amused despite herself. Charming? That wasn't something she got to hear often. Not even Azriel had called her that before, which was for the best because she didn't want his compliments to be lies. "Sure fucking did," she said. Circled around to chair to stand with it between them. "ʼcause she was trying to play him and that's not gonna happen with me around. Can't fucking trust people, y'know." Coyote: at 10:45 PM Mishka kept watching her, amused. "Well, good." He grabbed his coat and slid it on. "Can't fucking trust me, you mean?" Jen: at 10:48 PM "You value honesty, Haeth?" Coyote: at 10:53 PM "No," Mishka said. "Not at all, no." Jen: at 11:03 PM "Well, in that case, sure. Why not." Larkin shrugged, smiling. "You're just a scheming, manipulating liar who couldn't even stay loyal to his husband and poisoned his shithead son. Of course I fucking trust you with my best friend." Coyote: at 11:05 PM Mishka regarded her again, closely. "So why tell me this?" It was what he expected. He was hardly surprised that's what she thought of him; that's what he had assumed. Jen: at 11:21 PM "Because you asked," she said flatly. "And the answer's no, I don't. You like me because I look out for Goro? Well, thing is I'd like to say that back, but unfortunately I don't fucking believe that you do."(edited) Coyote: at 11:31 PM Mishka snapped his fingers, making a small flame at his fingertips. He lit the cigarette. "That's fine," he said, after a moment. "I know who I am, and I know what I look like. You're right not to trust me, and you're right not to trust me with your darling bestie. Must fucking piss you off. Can't talk him out of it, huh?" Jen: at 11:34 PM "Nope. Like a fucking addict. You know I tried." Coyote: at 11:39 PM "Yeah, well. Good on you for trying," Mishka said, amused. "You're a good friend." He went to smoke his cigarette outside. As cool as lighting the cigarette with his fingers had been, he did not, in fact, want to get cigarette smoke in his office. Jen: at 11:48 PM "Yeah. Someone's gotta be." Mikhail was turning his back and Larkin wasn't going to run after him. She left and closed the door loud enough for him to hear outside. Should go to find Goro now and tell him about their meeting. Well, not all of it. He wouldn't want hear about her giving his boyfriend shit over being untrustworthy. That fool. Still, Larkin found herself in a better mood than she'd thought she would be. Haeth had his qualities, after all, and now they had a plan. Wyn was going to go down. END February 3, 2019 Coyote: at 2:37 PM Title: Larkin and Mishka (Brainstorming). Larkin and Mishka brainstorm ways to take down the Sanguines. Category:Text Roleplay